Author Topic: 2013 F1 Grand Prix Season (Read 72913 times)

John the Traveller · « **Reply #45 on:** March 28, 2013, 05:15:16 PM »

Photo says it all really.
Go Mark sink the slipper the little shit deserves no quarter now!

JT

CO-CO · « **Reply #46 on:** March 28, 2013, 05:48:55 PM »

Quote from: Adam on March 25, 2013, 08:04:14 PM

Hee

Vettel should have his bollocks cut off !!!

Disgraceful !

Team orders are team orders and whether you like them, or not, they have been a part of F! for many years.

Vettel took the 'law' into his own hands and he should be punished accordingly for this heinous breach.

smoooth2 · « **Reply #47 on:** March 28, 2013, 07:01:18 PM »

CoCo - I agree ... but can't really see Red Bull getting too upset with their "golden haired triple champion"

They might take away his lollies and remote control for a week ?

Reminds me very much of the Schumacher-Barichello rivalry at Ferrari not so many years ago. Clearly Vettel is a more
skilful driver than Webber, just as Schuey was over Barichello.

Webber is good ... but Vettel is better. (Sounds like an advertising slogan !!)

Year Webber Vettel

'02 16th Minardi -
'03 9th Jaguar -
'04 13th " -
'05 10th Williams -
'06 14th " -
'07 12th Red Bull 14th Toro Rosso
'08 11th " 8th "
'09 4th " 2nd Red Bull
'10 3rd " 1st "
'11 3rd " 1st "
'12 6th " 1st "

John the Traveller · « **Reply #48 on:** March 28, 2013, 08:20:20 PM »

I couldn't agree more CO-CO
Since the first days F1 has been a team sport. In the 50's we saw junior drivers hand their car to the senior driver ( Collins to Fangio for example) this was expected. The situation has always been that sacrifices are made for the betterment of the team. The definition of a team is "a like minded group of people working toward a common goal" It would appear that this definition has no weight with Vettel as it did not with Schumacher or indeed Senna.
The sponsors and the owners, no doubt , would like this situation to change however while those of us who have a memory of the history of the sport are still alive the true meaning of Formula 1 will continue.
Cheers,
JT

Alan · « **Reply #49 on:** March 29, 2013, 06:14:12 AM »

You forget that Vettel is the F1 bum chum 2012 winning his title whilst overtaking under a yellow flag............ Never mind real racing starts in a week or so with Moto GP

Come on Rossi.

Antonio · « **Reply #50 on:** March 29, 2013, 07:11:15 AM »

Quote from: Alan on March 29, 2013, 06:14:12 AM

You forget that Vettel is the F1 bum chum 2012 winning his title whilst overtaking under a yellow flag............ Never mind real racing starts in a week or so with Moto GP Come on Rossi.

Nice to see you supporting the Italians and not the British.
Still Rossi is one of the best ever.

TBWG · « **Reply #51 on:** March 29, 2013, 03:20:12 PM »

TBWG · « **Reply #52 on:** April 06, 2013, 09:30:28 PM »

Return of the Secret Diary! Adrian Newey aged 54.5 that is!

Goodness gracious trusty tome. I feel a hefty weight of guilt opening your vellum pages and realising I hadn't jotted a single word since Monaco 2012. Deary me, how busy I've been. In truth, you were hidden beneath an old copy of F1 Racing magazine - the one where David Coulthard says, "this is my year" on the cover, which I always intended to read but never quite got round to. Little did DC know that Ron never intended him to have a year while he was a flag bearer for the Scottish Nationalist party, not to mention the Whitey-tighty trouser party.

Anyway, I digress. The reason I have a substantial hiatus in which to attend to your unmarked pages, veritable archive of history, is that Christian has called a halt to developing the RB9 until after Bahrain. The jungle drums say that political pressure on Pirelli is growing and that whereas we weren't going to get a change at all in 2013 now the feeling is there could be progress towards a tyre that doesn't disintegrate like a four-day-old Krispy Kreme doughnut.

Mark is muchly helping this by saying that the drivers can only drive at eight tenths, while Sebastian's comment that the tyres degrade whether you look after them or not has also undermined Pirelli's position. F1 can hardly be the pinnacle of motorsport if the championship is won by the car with the best tyre wear. You know I often sit on the pitwall and wonder about Pirelli - if Paul Hembery grew a beard, how much would he look like Guy Garvey from Elbow...?

Jana, my vituperative Slavic PA, has been surprised at my modern taste in music of late. Despite her assumption that I would favour folk music, The Spinners and "anyone with a beard and a cardigan" my choice of Elbow for our shared i-Pod dock has made her re-assess my status as the folkmeister of the Red Bull design department.

As I have oft noted, Jana has long been a supporter of Mark and a detractor of Sebastian. This was made very clear at the Red Bull Christmas Party when - after several tequila shots - she insisted on holding him tight and dancing the Lambada. How anybody can dance the Lambada to Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody' is beyond me, but it was a novel sight. When the head of Personnel took her to one side and told her it was inappropriate she explained that it was not her problem there were "cultural differences".

The latest nonsense in Sepang has only deepened her dislike for Sebastian and given her the triumphant confirmation that he does need the set of children's wooden blocks she bought on Ebay for when he comes into my office. Last year she also bought him a play-table and a little chair to sit on. In case there was any doubt she painted a name badge S-E-B-A-S-T-I-A-N and plonked it in the middle. Luckily he didn't see it, and when she went on holiday in August I had it removed and sent to a local nursery.

After events in Malaysia, I had to lay down the law and sent her a very stiffly worded email. I could imagine Sebastian coming into the office to say sorry to the staff about the team orders business and Jana giving a cynical "Hah!" in response. Luckily the morning he came in she was at the dentist - as I wittily noted to the design team 'having her teeth sharpened'.

As if the Sepang nuisance wasn't a big enough distraction, now I have the most bothersome business of an Autosport journalist putting a rumour into print that Christian went off to Maranello last year and offered his (and my) services to the scarlet team. Most irritating. Now I am getting all kinds of banter from the rest of the design department. If I say something looks good, they reply, "No, Adrian, eetsa bella bella!"

Christian has promised me this wasn't the case at all and simply more disinformation from the Scuderia. He said it had the same element of truth as Sebastian moving to Maranello in 2014, another one of their gems. As I said to him, I'm not a big fan of Italian soups and whereas zuppa di pesci can be a tasty treat on occasion, minestrone reminds me of holidays in cheap guesthouses on the Isle of Wight.

Christian is getting a lot of stick from the rest of the paddock because of his cosy relationship with Bernie Ecclestone - particularly the fact that he was the only F1 team boss invited to his wedding last year. In the past it was always Eddie Jordan who was said to be Bernie's eyes and ears in the paddock, now the other team bosses suspect that it's Christian, which has earned him the nickname 'Bernie Junior' or 'Little Bernie'. How you get smaller than Bernie is beyond me - though if stature is a clue to future F1 megalomania, then surely Ant Davidson's career should be looking up.
Most ticklesome.

TBWG

TBWG · « **Reply #53 on:** April 06, 2013, 09:35:33 PM »

Quote from: Alan on March 29, 2013, 06:14:12 AM

You forget that Vettel is the F1 bum chum 2012 winning his title whilst overtaking under a yellow flag............ Never mind real racing starts in a week or so with Moto GP Come on Rossi.

What about Crutchlow & Bradley Smith?

TBWG

TBWG · « **Reply #54 on:** April 12, 2013, 02:40:12 PM »

Nico Rosberg leads the way
by Joe Saward

Nico Rosberg set the pace in the first practice session in China, beating his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by four-tenths of a second. Mark Webber was nine-tenths behind Rosberg in third, ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Fernando Alonso was fifth ahead of Jenson Button’s McLaren, Felipe Massa’s Ferrari, Adrian Sutil’s Force India and the Lotus of Romain Grosjean. The top 10 was completed by Paul di Resta in the second Force India.

Kimi Raikkonen was 11th, ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne, Pastor Maldonado, Nico Hulkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, who ended the session in a gravel trap at the entrance to the pitlane. The field was completed by Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Gutierrez, Jules Bianchi, Max Chilton, Giedo Vande Garde and Ma Qing Hua , who was standing for Charles Pic for the session.

TBWG

TBWG · « **Reply #55 on:** April 12, 2013, 02:42:05 PM »

Ferrari super car…
by Joe Saward

Felipe Massa set the fastest time of the second practice session in Shanghai on Friday afternoon, beating Kimi Raikkonen by a tenth of a second. Fernando Alonso was third, chased by Nico Rosberg, Mark Webber, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Adrian Sutil, Paul di Resta and Sebastian Vettel. Sergio Perez was 11th ahead of Romain Grosjean, Esteban Gutierrez and the Toro Rossos of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne. Then came the Williams of Valtteri Bottas, the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg, Pastor Maldonado in the second Williams and then a gap of half a second back to Jules Bianchi's Marussia, the two Caterhams and Max Chilton's Marussia, which went off in the middle of the session.

TBWG

TBWG · « **Reply #56 on:** April 13, 2013, 05:48:51 PM »

Chinese GP: Hamilton grabs first pole with Mercedes
By Matt Beer Saturday, April 13th 2013,

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position with Mercedes in a Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session dominated by tyre strategy.

Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus will join Hamilton on the front row ahead of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari.

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel chose not to set a time in Q3 and can start ninth on medium tyres, while most of those ahead must use the fragile softs for their first stint.

His Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber had a disastrous session, as a fuel pressure problem stranded him in Q2.

With the soft tyres only good for one flying lap and expected to quickly fade in the race, qualifying was all about rubber conservation.

Q3 duly became a one-lap shootout in the final minute as all 10 contenders poured on the track at once at the last gasp.

Raikkonen was first to take provisional pole with a 1m34.761s.

Several likely challengers failed to match that, but Hamilton came through on a 1m34.484s to give Mercedes pole at Shanghai for a second straight year.

Alonso ended his run of being outqualified by Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa as he took third, two places ahead of the Brazilian.

Nico Rosberg split them in the second Mercedes.

Romain Grosjean was sixth for Lotus, followed by Daniel Ricciardo.

The Australian was one of the stars of qualifying as he got Toro Rosso into Q3 for the first time this year, beating team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne by 0.9 seconds in Q2.

Jenson Button joined Vettel in opting for medium and did a slow lap for eighth, while Vettel and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg chose not to do Q3 flying laps at all.

Webber ended qualifying 14th after a fuel pressure problem forced him to park his car on the circuit in Q2. But the Australian fears he will ultimately end up at the back of the grid if the issue means his Red Bull cannot provide the mandatory fuel sample for the FIA.

Both Force Indias narrowly missed out on the top 10, with Paul di Resta just 0.029s off in 11th. Team-mate Adrian Sutil was behind Sergio Perez's McLaren in 13th.

The tyre issue even neutered Q1, which did not feature any track action until halfway through.

Toro Rosso attempted to get through on mediums, but had to make a late switch to softs as both drivers were at risk of missing the cut.

Vergne and Ricciardo's improvements meant Valtteri Bottas's Williams and Esteban Gutierrez's Sauber were the two midfield cars ousted.

Jules Bianchi had been ahead of the Toro Rossos before they moved to softs, but had to settle for his usual 19th for Marussia, still comfortably faster than his back of the grid peers.

Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m34.484s
2. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m34.761s + 0.277
3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m34.788s + 0.304
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m34.861s + 0.377
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m34.933s + 0.449
6. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m35.364s + 0.880
7. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m35.998s + 1.514
8. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 2m05.673s + 31.189
9. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault no time
10. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari no time
Q2 cut-off time: 1m36.261s Gap **
11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m36.287s + 1.209s
12. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m36.314s + 1.236s
13. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m36.405s + 1.327s
14. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m36.679s + 1.601s
15. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m37.139s + 2.061s
16. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m37.199s + 2.121s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m37.508s Gap *
17. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m37.769s + 1.976
18. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m37.990s + 2.197
19. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m38.780s + 2.987
20. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m39.537s + 3.744
21. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m39.614s + 3.821
22. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m39.660s + 3.867

107% time: 1m42.489s

TBWG

TBWG · « **Reply #57 on:** April 13, 2013, 05:53:40 PM »

Chinese GP: Mark Webber to start last after fuel issue
By Matt Beer Saturday, April 13th 2013,

Mark Webber has been put to the back of the Chinese Grand Prix grid as his Red Bull could not provide sufficient fuel for the mandatory FIA sample after qualifying.

The Australian stopped on the circuit during Q2 when his car ran into fuel pressure problems, which the team put down to an issue with a fuel bowser.

Webber was classified 14th in qualifying but said at the time he suspected it would be difficult to get through the fuel sample test in the circumstances.

"It was a lack of fuel pressure so I couldn't get back, so we stopped the car and qualifying was over before it started really," he said.

A statement from the Shanghai stewards said Red Bull conceded it did not have enough fuel on board.

"The team admitted it had not put sufficient fuel in the car. As specified in the technical delegate's report (Document 21), only 150ml of fuel was on board, which was insufficient to provide the one-litre sample and drive the car back to the pits under its own power."

The F1 technical regulations stipulate that sufficient fuel for a one-litre sample must be available even if a car stops on track.

The rules say: "After a practice session, if a car has not been driven back to the pits under its own power, it will be required to supply the above mentioned sample plus the amount of fuel that would have been consumed to drive back to the pits."

The same issue led to Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel starting at the back for the 2012 Abu Dhabi GP.

TBWG

TBWG · « **Reply #58 on:** April 14, 2013, 05:47:52 PM »

Chinese GP: Alonso takes commanding victory for Ferrari
By Matt Beer Sunday, April 14th 2013,

Fernando Alonso gave Ferrari its first victory of the 2013 Formula 1 season as his tactic of starting on soft tyres proved the right one in a strategy-defined Chinese Grand Prix.

Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton used the same strategy to fill the podium, as Sebastian Vettel's tactics could only give him fourth place, just inches behind Hamilton in a thrilling finish.

The race unfolded as two parallel contests between those who started on softs, briefly burst clear and then pitted early and dropped into traffic, and those who started on mediums, emerged up front, but would face soft tyre pain later.

Alonso quickly thrust himself to the front of the first group. A slow start from Raikkonen meant the Ferraris were into second and third by Turn 1, and both Alonso and Felipe Massa overtook Hamilton on lap five as the Mercedes' soft tyres faded quicker.

Massa stayed out one lap longer than most on softs and subsequently faded out of the lead battle, while Alonso's speed at hacking through traffic on alternative strategies once he was on mediums gave him a clear advantage over everyone else on the same strategy.

Vettel left his softs until the final five laps.

But by then, Alonso's strategy already looked better. The Ferrari's shorter stints meant Alonso caught Vettel on track on lap 42 on fresher tyres at a time when both had one more stop to go.

Alonso swiftly passed the Red Bull and cruised away, knowing Vettel would still have to take on softs.

While the Ferrari was out of reach, Vettel still had a shot at Raikkonen's Lotus and Hamilton's Mercedes, which had been battling all race.

The champion caught his two rivals at a rate of three seconds per lap after his late pitstop and started the final lap with Hamilton in sight.

The Mercedes hung on by just 0.2 seconds, with Raikkonen staying just far enough ahead to claim second. The Lotus was sporting a dramatic tear in its nose section after an early brush with the defensive Sergio Perez's McLaren.

Jenson Button pulled off a two-stop strategy in the sister McLaren, allowing him to lead for a spell and finish fifth ahead of Massa.

Daniel Ricciardo converted his impressive qualifying result into seventh for Toro Rosso, despite an early front wing change.

Paul di Resta and Romain Grosjean were eighth and ninth.

Nico Hulkenberg played a major role in the early stages. Running the same strategy as Vettel, he got ahead of the Red Bull early on and led as the pit tactics unfolded.

A slow pitstop meant he lost out to Vettel, and Sauber's choice of a very short middle stint on softs did not pay off, leaving him 10th.

Mark Webber's troubled weekend got even worse in the race. Clearing the soft tyres on lap one and instantly taking mediums gave him a shot at getting up with the leaders, but he smashed his front wing in a tangle with Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso then retired when his right rear wheel fell off after a subsequent pitstop for repairs.

Nico Rosberg was troubled by an apparent suspension problem from the outset and retired his Mercedes soon after his second pitstop.

A host of drivers, including both Red Bull men, will be investigated for alleged DRS breaches after the race, although AUTOSPORT understand that paddock-wide telemetry problems are the cause.

Esteban Gutierrez could face sanction for ploughing into the back of Adrian Sutil early on, ending both their races. Sutil had earlier clashed with Force India team-mate di Resta.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai, China;
56 laps; 305.066km;
Weather: Dry.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Alonso Ferrari 1h36:26.945
2. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 10.100s
3. Hamilton Mercedes + 12.300s
4. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 12.500s
5. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 35.200s
6. Massa Ferrari + 40.800s
7. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 42.600s
8. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 51.000s
9. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 53.400s
10. Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari + 56.500s
11. Perez McLaren-Mercedes + 1m03.800s
12. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1m12.600s
13. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 1m33.800s
14. Bottas Williams-Renault + 1m35.400s
15. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
16. Pic Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
17. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. van der Garde Caterham-Renault + 1 lap

Fastest lap: Vettel, 1m36.808s

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Rosberg Mercedes 22
Webber Red Bull-Renault 16
Sutil Force India-Mercedes 6
Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 5

World Championship standings, round 3:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 52 1. Red Bull-Renault 78
2. Raikkonen 49 2. Ferrari 73
3. Alonso 43 3. Lotus-Renault 60
4. Hamilton 40 4. Mercedes 52
5. Massa 30 5. Force India-Mercedes 14
6. Webber 26 6. McLaren-Mercedes 14
7. Button 12 7. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7
8. Rosberg 12 8. Sauber-Ferrari 5
9. Grosjean 11
10. Di Resta 8
11. Ricciardo 6
12. Sutil 6
13. Hulkenberg 5
14. Perez 2
15. Vergne 1

TBWG

TBWG · « **Reply #59 on:** April 14, 2013, 06:18:03 PM »

Chinese GP: Esteban Gutierrez punished for Adrian Sutil clash
By Pablo Elizalde Sunday, April 14th 2013,

Esteban Gutierrez has been handed a five-place grid penalty for Bahrain after his crash during the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Mexican Sauber driver outbraked himself five laps into the race and crashed into the back of Adrian Sutil's Force India.

Rookie Gutierrez retired on the spot with a heavily damaged car, while Sutil managed to return to the pits but was also forced to retire due to the damage suffered.

"As I turned into the corner, I felt a hit from the rear and that was it. I think Gutierrez just braked late for the corner," said Sutil.

Race stewards gave the Sauber driver a penalty for causing the accident, and he will drop five places on the grid next week in Bahrain.

Gutierrez fully accepted that it was his mistake.

"I had Checo [Perez] fighting behind me, and I approached the corner too fast," he said.

"I was braking at the same place where I usually brake, however, I didn't anticipate the loss of downforce and the amount of speed I had.

"I tried my best to stop, but didn't succeed. It was definitely my fault, and I apologise to Adrian and to his team."

Webber given Bahrain grid penalty for hitting Vergne
By Pablo Elizalde Sunday, April 14th 2013

Mark Webber will lose three places on the grid of the Bahrain Grand Prix after stewards blamed him for his class with Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne in China.

Webber made contact with Vergne when trying to pass the Frenchman for 12th position on lap 16 of the race. He confirmed his penalty to reporters as he left the stewards' office.

The Australian said afterwards he was sure Vergne had left him room to pass, although the Toro Rosso driver denied knowing Webber was there.

"I think Mark could not have got through from where he tried and I'm not even sure if he was trying to pass me. Certainly I didn't even know he was there," said Vergne.

"Unfortunately, the impact put me into a spin and the incident damaged my floor. From then I lost a lot of downforce."

Webber had already endured a nightmare weekend.

The Australian had started the race from the pits after he had been excluded from qualifying for not having enough fuel in his car for scrutineering checks.

The Red Bull driver retired from the race after losing the rear left wheel following a pitstop.

TBWG

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